1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heater assembly, and more particularly to a heater assembly for a respiratory treatment machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A respiratory treatment machine, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, includes a base (10) and a water tank (20). The base (10) has a heating plate (100) mounted on a side face of a recessed platform (101) which is defined in a front side of the base (10). A controlling knob (11) is provided on a side of the base (10). The water tank (20) has a heat conducting plate (21) formed at a bottom side of the water tank (20) and corresponding to the heating plate (100). The water tank (20) is designed to receive therein water such that after the water tank (20) is placed on top of the heating plate (100) and the controlling knob (11) is turned on, temperature of the heating plate (100) gradually turns the water inside the water tank (20) into vapor. Then the user is able to use a hose to suck in the vapor to treat respiratory problems.
From the depiction of the drawings, it is noted that the heating plate (100) is exposed to the air and there is nothing to protect the user from engagement with the heating plate (100). Therefore, if the controlling knob (11) is accidentally turned on and the temperature of the heating plate (100) starts to rise, the user may be easily hurt by the high temperature of the heating plate (100). Even after the heating process is finished and the controlling knob (11) is not turned off, the user may still easily be hurt by the temperature of the heating plate (100).
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention tends to provide an improved heating assembly to mitigate the aforementioned problems.